chalaza
Americannoun
plural
chalazas, chalazae-
Zoology. one of the two albuminous twisted cords which fasten an egg yolk to the shell membrane.
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Botany. the point of an ovule or seed where the integuments are united to the nucellus.
noun
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one of a pair of spiral threads of albumen holding the yolk of a bird's egg in position
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the basal part of a plant ovule, where the integuments and nucellus are joined
plural
chalazae-
One of two spiral bands of tissue in an egg that connect the yolk to the lining membrane at either end of the shell.
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The region of a plant ovule that is opposite the micropyle, where the integuments and nucellus are joined.
Other Word Forms
- chalazal adjective
- chalazian adjective
Etymology
Origin of chalaza
1695–1705; < New Latin < Greek: hail, lump
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Seeds two to four, small, notched, short, plump, with very short beak; chalaza narrowly oval, depressed, indistinct; raphe usually a groove, sometimes distinct.
From Manual of American Grape-Growing by Hedrick, U. P.
The pollen-tube does not penetrate the ovule through the micropyle but enters at the opposite end—the chalaza.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4 "Carnegie Andrew" to "Casus Belli" by Various
Having the ovule inverted at an early period in its development, so that the chalaza is as the apparent apex; Ð opposed to orthotropous.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah
Campylotropous or Incurved, in which, by the greater growth of one side, the ovule curves into a kidney-shaped outline, so bringing the orifice down close to the base or chalaza; as in Fig.
From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa
The shape and color of seed offer distinguishing marks, while the size, shape and position of the raphe and chalaza furnish very certain marks of distinction in some species.
From Manual of American Grape-Growing by Hedrick, U. P.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
